"My goal on that kick was to get it in front," Nailor said. "I knew itwas slippery, so I put it on and was hoping -- and it went in."

Hawks coach Ralph Tooren said it appeared that Nailor's shot may havefooled Slattery.

"She struck a tricky ball for the goalkeeper to handle," said Tooren,who saw his club improve to 3-6-1 overall and 3-3-1 in MSL play. "Ifeel bad for (Slattery), but I'm very happy with the way we played.The defense was solid, and the midfielders and forwards were holdingand distributing."

Hoffman Estates controlled play for most of the match, leading toseveral opportunities for the Hawks' offense. Slattery handledeverything she could get her hands on, but Nailor's rising shotrocketed over the keeper's head.

"It seems Hoffman Estates was not that dangerous, but our goalkeeperhad to handle the ball more, and that one shot squeaked in," saidGrenadiers coach Dan Klaus.

Indeed, Slattery was a busy bee. In the sixth minute, she stoppedHawks senior defender Tori Tompkins, who fired a hard shot from 25yards out following a nice passing sequence among senior midfielderAle Alonso, sophomore middie Anna Sall and freshman mid VanessaBonilla. With 18 minutes to go in the first half, Slattery stopped abending shot by Hoffman Estates sophomore forward Natalie Nagrant, andthen grabbed a high shot by Nailor in the 31st minute.

Seven minutes into the second half, Slattery knocked down a 30-yardblast by Hawks senior defender Jessica Miller, who charged through theElk Grove defense before releasing the shot. Forty seconds later, along free kick by Nailor squirted off Slattery's hands; another 40seconds elapsed before Sall was stopped on another long drive.

"The wetness was a factor," Nailor said. "The ball took weird bounces,and it was hard to judge. And long balls would skip away -- too long."

Alonso and Tooren agreed that the wet conditions played havoc with possessions.

"It was really hard to control the ball, so were trying to pass tofeet," Alonso said. "Once Jenny (Nailor) scored, we had moreconfidence."

Added Tooren: "With this weather, you don't know what can happen -- soslick and unpredictable. But we were on the better side of things."

The Hawks didn't let up on the attack following Nailor's goal, and a20-yard shot by junior midfielder Sharon Lopez with two minutes leftin regulation forced Slattery to make a leaping save.

Elk Grove's handful of chances included a 15-yard shot by junior defender AllyCzyzewski in the 50th minute, and a rebound attempt by juniormidfielder Liz McDaniel in the 72nd minute that Hawks junior keeperFrancesca Van knocked away during a scramble in close.

"We made a decent push toward the end, but we have to have a sense ofurgency the whole game," said Klaus, who watched the Grenadiers fallto 2-8-1 overall and 1-5-1 in the MSL with the loss. "Things were going better than theyhave been, but it wasn't enough. And we're not much for moralvictories."

In the first half, Nailor spoiled any possible Elk Grove opportunitieswith a strong defensive presence in front of Slattery. Nailor wasquick to spring the Hawks on the counterattack as well, sharplyclearing the ball to freshman midfielders Vanessa Bonilla and MollySalerno on consecutive plays in the 23rd minute, and dancing throughthe Grenadiers 'D' before losing the ball in traffic with 22 minutesto go in Period 2.

"(Nailor is) 100 percent solid all the time," Tooren said. "She'sdependable when she has the ball, and she's a calming presence in theback. And I thought (Alonso) was strong on the ball and very creative.She can keep it or lay it on to someone else."